Ending

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Nangong Yan deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan and let out a long howl. His resonant voice rolled outward, wave after wave of sonic blasts scattering the curtain of rain. His figure shot into the sky like lightning, bathed in golden light.

When the golden light faded, a divine bird dozens of meters long appeared beneath the dark clouds. Its body alternated between gold and crimson, its wings gleamed golden, and pale golden flames radiated from all over its body. The terrifying heat completely dispersed the rain within several hundred meters, turning it into steam that rose into the sky.

"So this is your Devil Fruit? As expected, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit even rarer than a Logia!"

"Let me see the power of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, then. I hope you won't disappoint me! Hahaha!" Golden Lion's face brimmed with fighting spirit, his golden cloak billowing in the wind. Drawn by a peculiar force, the seawater beneath his feet once again formed a mighty azure lion that roared continuously at Nangong Yan.

The onlookers' adrenaline surged at the sight, and they were beside themselves with excitement. The reporters all pulled out their cameras to capture Nangong Yan's true form.

Nangong Yan was thoroughly displeased by the lion's arrogant display. The Golden Crow opened its beak, condensing an immense mass of pure golden flame into a pillar of fire that blasted toward Golden Lion. Its terrifying heat left a pale golden scorch mark in the air, as though even space itself had been burned black.

Golden Lion laughed loudly and used the Float-Float Fruit to control the azure lion, sending it pouncing at the descending flames. At the same time, he swung his arm, sending two transparent sword slashes hundreds of meters long after it.

The instant the pure golden pillar of fire struck the azure lion, it blasted a huge hole through it, instantly evaporating countless tons of seawater. But the lion had been formed from seawater, after all, and felt no pain. Under Golden Lion's control, it swiftly returned to its original shape, though it was noticeably smaller.

Seawater, sword energy, and flames collided in the air. Fierce shockwaves spread in every direction, seawater spraying everywhere like bullets as golden flames burst apart.

A clear, noble cry split the clouds and shattered stone. The Golden Crow Nangong Yan had become emitted an incomparably dazzling golden radiance, illuminating dozens of miles around them so brightly that everyone instinctively shut their eyes.

The sword-like golden light pierced the heavens, blasting a massive hole through the thick clouds overhead. Sunlight streamed through the opening onto Nangong Yan's body. It felt as though he had returned to his mother's embrace, and the warm sensation nearly made him moan.

His depleted stamina and expended Solar True Flame rapidly recovered beneath the sunlight. Nangong Yan was like a magnifying glass, drawing all the sunlight that could reach him into his body. He felt more powerful than ever before.

Armament Hardening, Demon Emperor Armor!

This was one of Nangong Yan's achievements in Devil Fruit development on Divine Punishment Island. He had gained two major insights regarding the Golden Crow Fruit there.

The first had been the Nirvana Rebirth Technique unique to the Golden Crow, developed by drawing inspiration from the phoenix's rebirth through fire and Tsunade's Yin Seal from Naruto!

Every day, Nangong Yan spent two hours storing stamina and Solar True Flame within the flame mark on his forehead. Over time, the amount of stamina and Solar True Flame stored inside had become immense.

Once Nangong Yan was severely injured and on the verge of death after being surrounded and attacked, opening the seal on his forehead would not restore him to his peak, but it could restore eighty to ninety percent of his strength.

The Mangekyo Sharingan had played a major role in developing this ability.

The Demon Emperor Armor, meanwhile, had been developed by Nangong Yan through combining Solar True Flame with Armament Haki. The only flaw was that, at present, he could only use this technique in his Golden Crow True Form.

In his human form and half-beast form, his control over the Solar True Flame was not yet refined enough to merge its violent nature with Armament Haki.

The Solar True Flame around the Golden Crow flying through the sky began to draw inward. Pitch-black Armament Haki covered its entire body, while golden Solar True Flame fused into the Armament Haki, forming strange golden patterns. It looked both sinister and domineering, carrying an air of nobility as well!

"Impressive! You can actually combine Devil Fruit powers with Armament Haki! This must be your strongest state. Let me see just how strong you are now!" A trace of approval appeared in Golden Lion's eyes as his grip around Oto and Kogarashi tightened involuntarily.

"As you wish!" Nangong Yan's voice was as cold as ice, without joy or sorrow in his heart. With a flap of his wings, he became an afterimage, charging toward Golden Lion with a terrifying wave of heat.

Three sharp Golden Crow claws—especially the third—tore through the air and slammed toward Golden Lion with an incomparably terrifying sonic boom.

"Good!" Golden Lion shouted as he charged forward with both swords in hand. The two famed blades, coated in Armament Haki, collided with Nangong Yan.

Every collision erupted with a deafening boom, shockwaves spreading outward in all directions. Water columns exploded from the sea, waves shattered, and even whirlpools emerged.

Golden Lion excelled most at swordsmanship and the Float-Float Fruit. His mastery of the three forms of Haki was not particularly high. Of course, that was only in comparison to experts of the same level, such as Roger, Red Count, Garp, Kong, and the like.

Golden Lion at his peak was truly terrifying. Even after Nangong Yan assumed his Golden Crow True Form, attacked with all three claws, spat fire from his beak, and relied on his aerial advantage, he still could not do anything to Golden Lion.

Golden Lion's twin swords were both offensive and defensive, sharp yet steady. His sword energy formed a net, and his blades were razor-sharp. Not only did they block Nangong Yan's offensive, but they also left him with the strength to counterattack.

An immense volume of seawater was drawn up by the Float-Float Fruit and coiled around Golden Lion. It could not only block the flames Nangong Yan occasionally spat out, but also lower the temperature, accomplishing both at once. Even so, Nangong Yan's Solar True Flame still made Golden Lion suffer. Even with the seawater cooling him down, Golden Lion was drenched in sweat, his clothes thoroughly soaked.

The two fought fiercely over the sea for three days and three nights, from the sky to the surface, then from the surface back into the sky, before finally battling atop a reef. The seawater was forcibly shaved down by an entire layer, the reef was smashed apart, and the clouds overhead gathered and dispersed, dispersed and gathered again!

For three days and three nights, Golden Lion had never fallen into a disadvantage. In fact, he had held the upper hand most of the time, yet he had still failed to defeat Nangong Yan.

Towering waves rolled across the sea as Golden Lion faced Nangong Yan in his Golden Crow True Form. Both were panting heavily. Though neither had been driven to utter exhaustion after three days and three nights of battle, their consumption had been considerable.

"Kid, I acknowledge your strength! Since this is your first offense, I'll let you off this time. If you dare invade my territory again, only a fight to the death will settle it." Golden Lion sheathed Oto and Kogarashi. He took a cigar from his chest, lit it, and took a puff. After giving Nangong Yan a deep look, he turned into a streak of light and departed.

Nangong Yan dispelled his Golden Crow True Form and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He was not afraid of continuing the battle, but victory would have been impossible.

There was still a certain gap between their strength. There really was a difference between a top king and a master.

Although the battle had been extremely grueling, and Nangong Yan had gained almost no advantage from beginning to end, he had still gained plenty from it.

Golden Lion's swordsmanship before being imprisoned in Impel Down was undoubtedly the best in the world! Nangong Yan had fought Golden Lion for three days and three nights. Although he had not used a sword, he had still gained much from Golden Lion and attained many insights.

Combined with his other gains, once Nangong Yan thoroughly digested everything from this battle, he might not reach the level of a top king, but he would not be far from the peak of master level.